Dear Friends,
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder
, I wonder
whether God still thinks creation is beautiful? Some parts of it still take our
breath away. On holiday in Scotland this summer we toured round the Isle
of Mull
and gazed open mouthed at the wonderful scenery that opened up round every
corner. White sandy beaches, rugged cliffs, clear blue sky and tranquil sea all
contributed to beautiful vistas that will remain in our minds throughout
the
coming dark days of winter. By contrast, looking across the Sound of Mull to
the peninsular of Morven you could see the mountains scarred by great granite
quarries, which no doubt have contributed magnificent stone to some great
buildings, but leave a blot on the local landscape.
Recent events like the Foot & Mouth crisis three years ago alerted us to the countryside changes that would come if human controlled activity such as sheep grazing or ploughing ever stopped. A recent TV programme about Snowdonia showed a small patch of land enclosed to prevent it being grazed, which in just three years was looking totally different from the rest of the mountainside. Gone was the short grass and in its place heather, bracken and even small trees. Which is the more beautiful is hard to decide; grass gives a better view of the mountain; heather and bracken provide better colours although the trees will soon stop people surveying the panorama.
God did a pretty good job with creation! Few parts of the earth are without interest; even barren deserts have a strange beauty to them. We humans have the power both to add to that creation as well as to detract from it.
In celebrating harvest this year we will be considering the beauty of God's bountiful world— from the attractiveness of a rosy red apple to the beauty of a bride. But it reminds us to take care of the world; to treasure it and to make sure we do nothing to spoil it by exploiting its resources.
Come and join us and celebrate the joys of Harvest:
For the beauty of
the earth,
For the beauty of
the skies,
For the love which
from our birth
Over and around us
lies:
Gracious God, to
thee we raise
This our sacrifice
of praise.
God Bless
© Fulwood Methodist Church
17:07:32 Wednesday, 26 October 2005
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